The Dead Aren't Really Dead
by Sresian
Summary: They all thought he was dead, but then he comes back and Roy reveals a secret to him.Something I wrote on LJ. Spoilers to the end of the series, including the movie.
1. Chapter 1

"I have been dead. For six years, ever since we held the funeral for a boy who wasn't as dead as we thought." Roy Mustang, former Colonel, now Major General of the Amestris military, stated calmly. His one remaining dark eye was focused on the blonde sitting in front of him. The other eye was taken from him in the last battle with Pride, formerly Furher Bradley. The black hair that was always worn rather disorderly was currently slicked back in a formal style, a few loose strands managing their way from the gel. 

"M-mustang…" The younger man said, "What…what are you saying?" He managed to ask. For once, he was being so untalkitive it made Mustang nervous.

"Edward Elric, former State Alchemist, Fullmetal…" The one dark eye bore into bright amber ones, "I love you."

How the HELL did Ed get himself into THIS?!

Alphonse Elric had been living in his small military dorm for four years now and his only spare thoughts were focused on a brother he hardly remembered but was desperate to find. His sixteenth birthday was just around the corner, and he had yet to accomplish his goal.

When Al was only ten years old, right after the accident, a man visited him. A Colonel, he was told (though, he rather resembled a pirate to the young Elric). He swears, even to this day, that he should have known who Colonel Roy Mustang was…that he had known him in that time before the accident. But Mustang-tasia didn't talk about that. All he really said then was that he had been a friend of his brother's. Which was why Al trusted him, and probably one of the only reasons then as well. He seemed highly worried about Al, but Al didn't mind. He was used to new people, who seemed like they should be old people, treating him like that. The Colonel wasn't, after all, the first one of his brother's friends to find him. The most remarkable thing about the Colonel, however, was that he didn't try to argue with Al when Al mentioned his brother being alive…actually, he looked like it was dream of his own.

Two years later, shortly before his 12th birthday, Al came to Central Headquarters and sought out the famous Flame Alchemist. He wanted to find his brother. And he figured, that he could do that much more efficiently as a State Alchemist.

Roy could not deny the younger Elric for he had decided that Ed, if he were alive, would not want Roy to turn his younger brother away. He also knew, that Ed would kill him for letting his brother become a "dog of the military". So…either way he was doomed. At least this way, Al was happy. So he helped Al to become a State Alchemist.

So…four years of hard searching and Al had come up empty handed. Although, he did now have the nickname of "The Detective Alchemist". It was fitting, in all reality as Al could figure out almost any mystery. Except his brother's disappearance. There was more information he was missing and he knew that the only one who held this information was Major General Mustang (he'd been promoted twice in the six years of Al knowing him). And the General never gave in even in the slightest manner when Al confronted him. He was sneaky and sly, that raven-haired man, and whenever Al broached the subject, he was somehow deviously turned away from it.

Al sighed heavily, "Why did you leave brother?" He asked this up to the ceiling that hung over his cot. Currently, Al stayed in the dorms of the military. He traveled far too often to have a home and though the General had offered to let him stay with him, Al just didn't feel right living with him.

So…here he was again. Alone and bored out of his mind. He might have read a book, if he owned any. But he didn't even have books from the library right now seeing as how he had just gotten back into Central that afternoon. So to ease that boredom, he thought. Which wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't kept having thoughts about his brother. Those were the thoughts that troubled him the most. Where was his brother? Was he truly alive? If he was alive, why didn't he come find Al? Did he possibly have amnesia?

As Alphonse asked himself these questions, trying desperately to sleep. He got an answer to his question earlier spoken aloud.

"I didn't mean to leave you, Al…I was stuck." Alphonse shot up, looking about the room with his dark gold-brown eyes.

"Bro…Brother?" Al asked into the darkness. He scratched his dirty blonde hair as he searched the room for the other occupant.

"Hey Al…you could let your brother in, y'know." The voice, Al realized was outside his dorm…in the hallway. And it sounded so familiar. Al raced over to his door, only in his boxers and a muscle shirt.

Al gasped and jumped back as he opened the door to reveal his elder brother. But his brother was different than he remembered. He still had the golden hair and eyes…he had the same facial features. But his hair was much longer, currently held up by a weak ponytail, similar to Al's own though longer. And his arm…and leg! They were automail! When did he get those? No…not automail. Prosthetics. Even worse, his brother had no shirt on and was covered in what looked, and smelled, like blood.

"E-Edward? Brother?" Al stammered at the man at his door. The figure gave his younger brother a weak smile before falling weakly to his knees. "BROTHER!" That startled Al into action. Thankfully, though Al was no longer in armor (not that he knew he'd ever been in it) he was still quiet strong. Strong enough to pick up the elder brother easily. Edward Elric had become deathly thin whenever the man had disappeared to.

"So-sorry, Al…" Ed managed to gasp out. The pain he was experiencing was horrid. But…he'd lived through worse.

"Brother! We have to get you to a hospital!" Al cried desperately. He gently went to lay his brother down on his bed but Ed practically climbed up Al's arm.

"No! I can't go to a hospital! They think I'm dead! And don't put me in your bed! I'll get it covered in blood!" Edward yelped frantically.

"Okay, okay…" _Calm down, Al…it's just your brother. You can handle this!_ Al took a rather deep breath, "I have to put you somewhere….ah!" He carried Edward into the bathroom and into the tub as gently as he could muster the strength to. "We'll clean the blood off…okay, brother?"  
"Thanks, Al…"

And that was how Edward Elric came back to them.

That did not explain how Ed was now standing in front of the Major General, listening to the weirdest love confession he'd ever heard of. So, we'll have to take the story back again.

Edward was back home where he belonged. He was with his brother again and that was the most amazing thing Al could ever hope for. If only his older brother would explain what happened. But his brother was as stubborn as ever and refused to tell Al one thing about where he'd been the past six years or how he got there. The most he said on the matter was "It doesn't matter anymore, Al. I'm home…and I don't plan on leaving any time soon."

Two weeks after his return, Al finally managed to talk his elder brother, somehow, that he needed to call Winry and Granny. He also needed his automail, though Ed cringed at the thought of having it reattached after six years of only having the prosthetic arm and leg.

"Alright, Al…I'll call 'em. Though, Winry will probably beat me with that damn wrench of hers…"

"You're wrong, Brother. Winry's grown a lot and doesn't use wrenches anymore." Ed gave a small sigh of relief, "She likes to use her bare fists now."

"Al! You're not helping!"

"Sorry, Brother." Al shrugged helplessly as he handed his brother the phone. Ed still had problems walking around because of the wounds that he refused to go see a doctor about. "You remember the number?"

"Damn…I hope so." Ed stated as he turned the dial. It had been a long time since he had had to call Granny or Winry. He sighed in relief when he recognized the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Rockbell residence." Winry Rockbell stated tiredly into the phone. She'd had to spend an all nighter last night working on an arm for a boy in the town so wasn't really up to phone calls right now.

"Winry?"

"ED?!" Of course she recognized his voice. Even after six years, that voice was Ed's…even if it was deeper.

"Hey…it's been a long time, huh?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN A LONG TIME? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!!!!!" Winry's shocked voice sounded as Ed held the phone away from his ear.

"Sorry, but you're not that lucky. I'm still alive." Ed gave a weak laugh.

"Is that really you, Edward?" Shock was running through her body. Unlike Al, she believed Edward Elric to be dead. And certainly she wasn't expecting a phone call from a ghost.

"Ya. I got to central about two weeks ago…"

"Two weeks and you couldn't call?!" She demanded but then subsided, "How are you alive? We all thought you were dead…had a funeral…and everything!"

"Er…It's a long story, Winry. But, uh, I kinda need you to come out to Central…see, while I was gone…I kinda…lost…the automail."

"HOW DO YOU LOSE SOMETHING THAT'S ATTACHED TO YOUR VERY NERVES?!"

"Long story, like I said…" Ed tried while still holding the phone a bit from his ear.

"Well…oh! Granny! It's ED!" He heard her say in the background. There was a startled sound as Pinako Rockbell grabbed the phone from her granddaughter.

"Shorty?"

"Old hag…nice ta hear ya." Edward laughed slightly.

"I didn't think you'd just die without a fight."

"Thanks…I think. How are you?"

"Getting old…but other than that? Fine. The business is going pretty well after the almost civil war."

"Well, how would you like your old best customer back, eh?"

"Ha ha…shorty…you lost the automail didn't you? I suppose you could come and…"

"I can't. I can't leave Al's dorm. I haven't really told anyone I'm back yet…and it might cause a commotion, y'know?"

"Hmmm. Well, this is a rather special circumstance. We'll leave for Central tomorrow. That means we'll get there in…about three days?"

"Ya. Sounds great. I can't wait to see you guys again!"

"Alright. We'll see you then. Tell Al we said hello."

"Sure thing, Granny…and Granny?"

"Ya?"

"I missed you." Ed almost whispered.

"We missed you too. See you soon."

"Bye!" Ed hung up the phone. The grin on his face was so bright as to be blinding to Alphonse.

"So are they coming?"

"Yep. Granny said about three days." Edward sighed as he handed the phone back towards his brother.

"What're you going to do when you get your automail back, brother?"

"Hmmm…I was thinking of going to see all the guys. Y'know…Havoc, Breda, Fury, Falman, and Hawkeye." Ed said, looking up as he remember the face of each of the men (and the woman) mentioned. The blonde, Jean Havoc, with his silly toothpick sticking out of his mouth in place of the cigarette he couldn't smoke in the office. The red haired Breda, chunky to be sure, but really not that bad of a guy. Black top Kain Fury with his silly square glasses. Falman's grey hair and board straight back. And of course, Hawkeye's blonde hair and gun in hand. The only person missing was…Mustang.

"What about the General?"  
"Do I know a General?" Ed asked, slightly surprised. He couldn't remember ever being friendly with a General.

"Oh. Sorry…he must have been a Colonel when you knew him. But General Mustang was promoted twice over while you were gone." Al explained, sitting on the floor.

"Damn…the bastard really did work his way up, didn't he? Is Hawkeye a Colonel yet?"  
"She will be soon." Al said, nodding, "They've all been promoted since I joined the team, so I'm sure that they all have different titles than when you were part of the military."

"Wait…Al…are you in the military?"  
"I'm a State Alchemist! See?" Al showed his brother his silver pocket watch with glee, but his smile faltered when he saw the look on his brother's face.

"Why?! Why in the world would you become a fucking 'dog of the military'?! Al…this isn't what you were meant to do!" Ed nearly screamed.

"Ed…? But…it was to find you…" Al stammered.

"Who helped you?" He growled out angrily.

"The General…he helped you and said he couldn't deny me as your younger brother…" Al said.

"THAT BASTARD!" Ed howled.

And that's when Edward decided he would have to visit Mustang. Though he really didn't want to see him. He would kill that bastard for letting Al join the military. He KNEW that Ed hated the god damned military! Fucking bastard…but…

When Ed had gone to Germany for those six years…he had thought a lot. About the friends and family he left here. And no matter how hard he tried, that stupid Colonel would always keep showing up. Those dark eyes, that messy hair, and that fucking smirk! Ed couldn't figure it out. He should be more eager to see his brother than that bastard! But the more and more Ed thought about it, the more he realized he really did care for the bastard.

But that wasn't on his mind when he was under the tools of Winry and Pinako as they set him up with the finest automail he'd ever seen. They had to send Al away because this was, as far as he remembered, his first time seeing and hearing his brother go through this type of pain and he kept fretting and asking stupid questions. So Granny sent him off to get food for supper seeing as how Ed would be very hungry after the surgery.

Pain rushed through his body as they reconnected almost dead nerves into the metal arm and leg. The pain was so intense that it left white spots in front of his eyes that didn't go away no matter how tightly he shut his golden eyes. He tried to keep in the yelps of pain, but it didn't always work. He wondered briefly what the people next door thought was going on.

Two days later, Ed was back on his feet. Well, sort of. It was taking a lot of work to get used to his arm and leg again. It felt good to be able to move again, but at the same time they felt so damnedly heavy! At this point, he'd never get to beat the shit out of Mustang!

A month later, a month two weeks and a day since Ed's return, he could function normally. Pinako and Winry had returned to Resembool, stating that the shop needed them. Ed and Al, of course, understood. Al had gone to see them off as Ed, dressed in a rather slim suit of brown (this was something he must have picked up wherever he had been because Al couldn't remember when anyone had dressed like that here) and his long gold hair up back in a tight ponytail went to see the General. Al couldn't help but stare at his brother…he looked so…grown up. That was another thing. Ed looked almost six years older than he should have been. Al knew that his brother was supposed to be a year older than him. That's it…but it seemed like so much more. Maybe it was an effect of the accident? Al sighed as he watched the train holding both Winry and Pinako off.

Ed stopped in front of the fine wooden door, staring at it as if it would magically open of it's own accord. He was, in fact, reading the golden plaque that was mounted of the door. "Major General Roy Mustang" it said in a thin cursive print. And because Ed had never been one to knock…he simply kicked the door open. When he put his foot down, he met the stares of some very surprised and shocked faces. Familiar faces. Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fury all sat at their table where they had been working on paper work, it seemed. But now every one of them was staring at Ed. Riza Hawkeye was standing in front of what looked to be a large marble desk, blocking the view of the General.

"Who is it, Hawkeye?" The oblivious General asked, standing up to see over her head.

The General had changed a lot over six years. Just as much as Edward himself had. He now had a large black patch over one of his eyes, covering one of the midnight eyes. His hair was worn the same, except perhaps it was a bit longer. But his face had aged…it looked more drawn, more dignified than Ed remembered it being.

"What're you all staring at?" He demanded gruffly, walking into the office. Immediately, as if they had been waiting for him to say something to make him real, all the people at the desk, and even Hawkeye, rushed over. Riza actually dropped the papers that she had been holding moments before.

"Edward! You're alive!"

"Are you a ghost?"

"How is this possible?"  
"Who are you? You can't be Ed…"

"Edward!" Ed laughed lightly at the questions thrown at him and he waved a hand at them to get them to quiet down.

"Yea, I'm alive. I'm not a ghost. I never died…I really am Ed." He added, shaking his head slightly, "Sorry I haven't been around. Got kinda tied up!"

"This is amazing!" Kain Fury said gleefully.

"It's great to see you alive!" Havoc yelped, giving him a bear hug around the shoulders.

"Edward Elric. I don't know where you've been, but it's nice to have you back." Falman said in his monotonistic voice.

"Great ta see ya!" Breda clapped a hand on his back, making the young man move forward slightly.

"I'm glad you're alive." Riza said. And then the most amazing thing happened. Not only did she SMILE, but also she HUGGED him-in PUBLIC!

"Wow. This is a great welcome home!" Ed grinned and glanced over the woman's shoulder to see the General still standing where he was, mouth slightly ajar. He pushed away from the woman's shoulders gently. "I have to speak with the Col-sorry…I mean the General, if you don't mind."

Riza nodded sagely, "That's a good idea. We'll wait outside." She gave the other men a cold glare and they all dutifully marched out, with Hawkeye on their tails. When she turned to close the door she gave him another small smile, "It's nice to see you again."

When the door was closed, Ed turned his attention back to the man he was really here to see. After a few minutes of staring at one another, Roy blinked and slowly sank into his large leather chair.

"You're alive." He eventually said. His voice cracked slightly and he didn't meet Ed's eyes as he spoke.

"Nice of you to notice." Rolling his amber eyes, he walked closer to the desk. "I never died…I just had to leave for a bit."

"For six years? You call that a bit?" The General inquired, he clasped his hands together and leaned his chin on his locked fingers. This was a gesture that the General hadn't used since Ed was 'alive'. "Take a seat, please." He gestured with his head at the couch sitting in front of the desk.

"Sure." He plopped down with his usual grace, sitting perched on the edge of the couch. "It was part of the deal I made when I helped Al."

"Ah…I see." Roy closed his eye for a minute then opened it again. "Where did you go?"

"A place called Germany." Ed glanced to the side, "I'd really rather not talk about it…I haven't even told Al about it yet."

"Do you plan on keeping him uninformed about his previous life?"  
"Yes. Why should he need to know about that? About losing our mother…his body…he's fine the way he is. If he remembers, I'll tell him. But otherwise, I'm not going to say a thing."

"I suppose that makes sense. How long have you been back?"

"Oh what's this? The great Mustang doesn't know something?" Ed's eyes glittered a moment but then he let it fall when Roy didn't seem up to the challenge, "About a month and a half."

"And you didn't come before hand, why?"  
"Well…one, I was supposed to be dead. Two, I didn't have automail when I got back. We had to get Winry and Pinako to come down to Central to fix me up again. That shit hurt too…but Al's sending them back home now." He looked up at Roy when he finished. The man seemed deep in thought for a moment.

"You aren't the only one who died back then."

"What?" Ed asked confusedly.

"I have been dead. For six years, ever since we held the funeral for a boy who wasn't as dead as we thought." Roy Mustang, former Colonel, now Major General of the Amestris military, stated calmly. His one remaining dark eye focused on the blonde sitting in front of him. The other eye was taken from him in the last battle with Pride, formerly Furher Bradley. The black hair that was always worn rather disorderly was currently slicked back in a formal style, a few loose strands managing their way from the gel.

"M-mustang…" The younger man said, "What…what are you saying?" He managed to ask. For once, he was being so untalkitive it made Mustang nervous.

"Edward Elric, former State Alchemist, Fullmetal…" The one dark eye bore into bright amber ones, "I love you."

Right, that's how he got here. Stupid questions that lead to stupid love confessions.

"Uh…what?" Ed finally managed to get out after a few minutes.

The General sighed, "Is it that hard to understand, Full-I mean Edward? I. Love. You. I have since before you left…and I never realized it until it was too late."

"Is this some kind of joke? I mean, seriously…Mustang…" Ed tried to joke his way out of the situation, but it didn't seem to work at the intense look on Mustang's face.

"I'm not joking." The man stood up and walked over to the couch where Ed was sitting. He leaned over his so that he rested a hand on either side of Edward's shoulders, keeping him in place.

"What're you-?" But Ed didn't get to finish as Roy's mouth melted over his own. Ed couldn't understand, he was in his own world of confusion. Roy Mustang not only just told him he loved him, but kissed him! And without realizing it, Ed closed his eyes and returned the kiss, leaning into it. When they finally pulled apart, Ed let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"I love you." Roy whispered, planting a small kiss on Ed's forehead before pushing back almost to his desk as there was a knock on the door.

"General! Alphonse is here to see Edward!" Hawkeye's voice came through the door.

"Let him in…" Roy said as he made his way back to his seat. Ed was still sitting there, looking slightly flushed in all his confusion. "Hello, Alphonse. It's so nice to see you again."

"Oh! So Brother did come here!" Al said, coming over to sit next to his brother, "Brother? Are you okay? You look like you might have a fever…maybe it's the automail?" But when Al reached to feel Ed's forehead his hand was swiped away.

"I'm FINE, Al." He growled slightly.

"Oh…okay." He turned back to the General, "Isn't it great that Brother's back?!" Al said excitedly.

"Of course. Although, I have to admit that I thought you might have grown some in six years…" Roy smirked slightly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE HAD TO WAIT SIX YEARS TO GROW AN INCH?!" Ed thundered, jumping up and down, flailing his arms as his face turned bright red. Roy chuckled at the shocked face on the younger Elric's face.

"Ed! Calm down, Ed…he didn't say that!" Al tried to calm his brother.

"But he was THINKING it! I saw it!"

"But you are kinda short-" That's when Al was tackled to the floor.

"How can you say that about you OLDER, more WISER bother?!" Ed screamed as the two tumbled around on the floor. It took a shot of Riza's gun before either of them gave up. They both jumped up at attention.

"Now then…that's better." Roy smirked lightly and stood up, "But really, Edward, you have grown. Quiet a bit since we last spoke. You're almost as tall as my shoulder."

Edward growled, "And YOU! After six years you could at least be a little bit less of a bastard, y'know!!!"

"Ed! Don't call the General such rude things! You shouldn't talk to your friends that way!"

"FRIENDS?! WHO TOLD YOU I WAS THIS BASTARD'S FRIEND?!" Ed demanded.

"He did!" Al pouted, pointing at the General.

"You bastard!" Ed said jumping and pointing in the General's direction, "And who the fuck gave you permission to use my brother?!"

"He did." The General said, pointing at Al this time.

"IT'S A FUCKING CONSPIRACY!!!!"

"I really think it's time Brother and I head back…after all he's just had the automail reattached this month and he really needs his rest." Al informed everyone. After a great deal of hopping around and flailing, Ed had calmed down enough to start telling about what had happened. Though, he never gave away much detail. All he said was that the last time he had transmuted something he had to pay a great price…he was sent to another world and ever since then he'd been trying to get back. It had taken him six years to find the gate that lead back to Amestris from a place called Germany.

"Al…stop acting like I'm made of glass!!!" Ed cried, waving his hands around again.

"It's not his fault you're so small-" Roy started.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT EVEN HIS LITTLE BROTHER IS TALLER THAN HIM?!" He cried, jumping up and down as his face turned beat red.

"Brother…he didn't say anything like that!" Al tried to calm his brother, failing somewhat.

"No no…I did mean that for once." Roy smirked as Ed jumped around some more yelling obscenities, "But you should give me the chance to make it up to you, Edward."

Ed stopped and tried desperately to keep his blush from surfacing, "W-what do you mean?!"

"Let me take you out to dinner…after all, it's been such a long time since I've gotten to watch the famous Elric bottomless pit."

"Oh…sure! I like food." Ed grinned, "If you don't mind Al." He said, turning to his brother.

"No I don't…he is your friend, Brother." Ed did a mental grimace but shrugged.

"Then if you'll kindly lead the way, General…we can go get my food!"

Roy laughed heartily at that, "Sure. We'll take my car seeing as how…" and for once, instead of making a joke about how Ed probably couldn't reach the steering wheel, he said, "I have a car and that automail probably still hurt."

Edward hadn't said anything to the General the entire time they rode in the car. Why did the bastard have to be nice like that? He would have felt much safe if the damn man had just called him short…but he WAS getting free food out of it. He mentally shrugged and glanced over to where the General was concentrating on driving.

"Isn't it hard to drive with an eye patch?" Ed asked, slightly interested in the answer.

"Yes it is which is why I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to me while I drove." Roy stated calmly.

"Sorry…" Ed muttered. He looked up when Mustang turned into a parking lot and turned the car off after parking.

"Here we go. A nice little pasta shop." Roy said smiling. He knew how much this particular Elric liked his noodles.

"Great!!!" Ed jumped out of the car in one fluid movement. Roy followed at a bit of a slower pace while Ed raced towards the restaurant. "Aw, c'mon old man!" Ed snickered, "Getting to old to walk without a cane, are we?"

"I am not old! I just like taking my time, thank-you-very-much, shorty."

"I AM NOT SHORT!!!!!!!!!"

"And I'm not old." The General returned as they entered the shop.

"What do you want to eat, Edward?" Roy asked as he looked over the menu.

"Just some noodles and meat sauce!" Ed said without looking at the menu sitting in front of him.

"Do you eat anything else?" He inquired of the younger alchemist.

"Sometimes…what're you getting?" The blonde asked.

"I was thinking about some lasagna…" Roy said, setting the menu down. He waved for one of the waiters and ordered their food.

"What would you like to drink?" The waiter asked of Roy who looked at Ed.

"What do you want Edward? After all…this is your dinner."

"Could we get some wine?"

"Yes, let's have that." Roy informed the waiter who nodded and ran off to get their orders.

"So, Edward, have you tried any alchemy yet since you had your arm reattached?" Roy wanted to make some conversation. He didn't want to start up the conversation that had been left unfinished in his office…at least not yet. He planned on inviting Ed to his home afterwards to talk some more. He needed to tell Ed that he had been serious when he told him he loved him. Roy kept having the doubt that Ed would not return his feelings or worse, would just simply run away from him!

"Not yet…but I can't wait! I haven't been able to for six damn long years! I wonder what I should try first…?"

"Maybe you should make something for your brother?" Mustang suggested, "He has been searching six long years for you, after all."

"Yes…which reminds me! You shouldn't have told him to join and don't you dare even try to tell me that it wasn't you!"

"I didn't tell him to join…I visited him shortly after he was found in the underground city. After telling him that I knew of his brother and that I indeed didn't really believe that you were dead, he decided he wanted to join the military to look for his elder brother who seemed to have vanished rather suddenly to him." Roy explained in a rather quiet voice.

"You expect me to believe that Al willingly put himself in the military without a once of push from you?" Edward raised one eyebrow in question.

"Yes, I do, because it's true! He's so different from you but yet very similar. One thing being that he is as just as stubborn as you were at his age. I told him that he should consider other ways to look for you…that surely there was something else because his brother wouldn't want him to be a 'dog of the military' like he was. But he wouldn't be pushed down. He said it was the only real way to get around since Mrs. Rockbell refused to fund a trip like that."

"That doesn't mean you had to give in like that!"

"Were you not listening to what I just said? He's as stubborn as you! And you're only proving my point further!"

Ed glared at the man across the table, but the more he thought about it, he realized that the General was correct…and he wouldn't push the subject anymore. Besides, their food was there!

"Here you are, sirs…I hope you enjoy your meal." The waiter said with a small bow as he back away.

"Thank you." Roy replied before looking at the wine, "Have you ever had wine before?"

"Of course I have. In Germany they drink beer all the time." Ed shrugged.

"Beer is very different from wine, Edward."

"I know that!" He snapped back, "But I have had wine before so stop worrying so much!"

"Fine…fine…" He poured the wine into the two wine glasses provided. "Drink up." He said as they clinked their glasses together.

Much later that evening, after all the food (yes, even those tiny little crumbs that you think you just CAN'T get to) was gone, Roy finally managed to ask Ed over for coffee. At first, Edward was hesitant, shying away from the question, almost like he wasn't sure if it were safe or not. But after a slight budge from Roy (and a few more glasses of wine), Ed conceded and now they were in the car, on their way to Roy's apartment.

Roy Mustang's apartment was not the greatest thing in the world. Of course, it was very nice but it was only clean due to housekeeping that came by once a week. Otherwise dust would cover almost everything but the bed. Because, as a Major General he spent almost all of his time at the office and when he wasn't there, he was at home, sleeping. It used to be said that most of the General's time was being spent with women, seeing as how that was what he did with his spare time as a Colonel, but after he turned down Colonel Hawkeye's small advance, it was widely known that the then Colonel was no longer the play boy he once had been. Ever since then, the General only worked and slept. Doing smalled things such as reading and drinking scotch in his spare time. He also had a fasination with a phonograph…though he rarely had the energy to crank the machine anymore. (1)

So when Edward first walked into the General's house, Ed could only assume that this was not really where the bastard actually lived and that this had been some prank…or worse, a trap.

"Go on in and make yourself at home. It's not much…but I don't really spend much time at home, you know." Mustang offered as an excuse to exactly why the place looked so…deserted.

"Are you sure you live here? Because I'm damn sure that you can afford better than this." Ed growled out in a tipsy daze as he sat down in a very un-like Edward way. Possibly he was too tipsy to remember to flop down or possibly it was one of those things that had changed when Ed came back from Germany. Roy wasn't sure.

"I'm positive this is where I live, Full Metal. And you're right…I could afford a much larger house, but why buy something so large when there's only one person living there? And that one person is hardly there anyways?"

"You're back to calling me that, are you? Look…no one calls me Full Metal anymore. Technically, I'm dead. So therefore I am no longer indebted to the military and I can't use my State Alchemist title. So call me Ed." He gripped, ignoring Roy's remarks about the house.

"Excuse-me. I didn't mean to offend you…habit you see." Roy explained as he left the young man in the living room. "If you'll excuse me a minute, I have to change."

While Roy went to the back to change his clothing, Ed sat and thought. Roy…in something other than that blue uniform? It just seemed…weird! Or, he thought distractedly, Roy in nothing at all. Then he snapped back, _What the FUCK was that? _He asked himself as he shook his head to get that mental picture to disappear. He wasn't supposed to think about this man in that way. That reminded him…hadn't Roy said he loved him?

But Ed wasn't given the chance to figure that out in his tipsy state seeing as Roy had just walked into the room wearing a loose-fitting dark blue silk button-up shirt with black dress slacks. And damn it all if that wasn't the sexiest thing Edward Elric had seen in his entire life (not that he'd ever tell anyone that…)!

"Would you like something to drink, Ed? Coffee?" When Ed nodded, rather mutely, Roy went to the side where the small kitchen was located and set up the coffee. When he returned he had two cups of hot coffee, some sugar, and a bit of cream (as he figured Ed wasn't the type to have plain black coffee like himself). "There we are." He said, setting the tray down on the table in front of the younger man.

"Thanks…" Ed grabbed one of the cups and drank a small sip, not even shuddering at the bitter taste.

"I hadn't realized you would like black coffee. It doesn't seem to fit you." Roy said, sipping from his own coffee.

"Ah…so you really _don't_ know everything about my life anymore." Ed teased with a slight grin.

"Well, after being gone for six years, it's rather hard to keep tabs." The General defended himself.

"Hm…I suppose." Another sip of coffee, "So why did you bring me here? I highly doubt you just wanted to have coffee with me, General."

"For once, you're right." Roy sighed as he sank into one of the armchairs facing Edward. "I want you to know that what I told you in the office was true, whole-heartedly. I love you with my very fiber." The last sentence was so quiet that Ed strained to hear it, but when he did, a dark blush crept from his neck up his face.

"General Mustang…"

"Roy. Call me Roy. Please." The General pleaded with the boy…no, man.

"R-roy…" Edward started somewhat shakily, "I really can't tell if you're joking or not. That whole thing…it seems very unrealistic to how I remember things working between the two of us."

"I'm not joking. I wouldn't joke about something like this, Ed!" And before Roy could even stop himself, once again he loomed over the other man. "I love you and I don't ever want you to leave again. I want you to stay here, with me. I want you to say you love me too. I just…I want _you_." And then they were kissing. Just like that.

At first, Ed just sat there…unable to respond. He'd always had somewhat of a small crush on Roy, even if he was only realizing that just now, but this was still a shock. After the initial shock was past, Ed kissed back. It was harsh or passionate. It was just full of feeling. The love that Ed had been holding back for years was suddenly shown in one single kiss. And it was so shocking to the man he was kissing, that said man almost jumped away. But he couldn't have even if he wanted to seeing as how somehow, Ed's arms had managed their way to wrap around Roy's broad shoulders and was pulling him closer.

Finally, they had to breathe.

"I love you." Roy said again, in a slightly panted way.

"I…need you." It wasn't that Ed didn't love the general. It was that Ed wasn't ready to say that. He needed to show the man he cared, but without saying those words. So he kissed him again. Putting even more love into it than before, mixing it with some of the passion that was slowly building between the two of them.

"Ed…" Roy whispered sweetly to the flushed beauty in front of him, "I…want to do so much more than kiss. But," and Roy pulled back from his love, ignoring the whimper that came from him, "I don't think you're ready. Let's get you home. It's almost midnight and Al will be worried."

"O-of course…" Ed said weakly, standing up and grabbing his jacket.

Ed reached the dorm rooms way past one. He had decided to walk home after his trip to the bastard's apartment, mainly to walk off the slight drunkeness he had picked up and the result of that was that he had come home much later than intended. He tried to walk into the room as quietly as he could.

The entire dorm room had been pitch black so Ed only could assume that Al had gone to sleep. But that changed when a light suddenly turned on to reveal Al sitting in one of the larger armchairs in the room.

"Where have you been?" The younger brother demanded, sounding an awful like a dad having stayed up to make sure his daughter came home on time from her first date.

"Uh…nowhere?"

"Try again, Brother." Al said, crossing his arms. He wasn't stupid.

His brother let out a slight sigh, "I walked home…from the General's apartment."

"All that way?!" His brother yelped, standing up. "Why would you do that?"

"I have my reasons." Ed snorted, "And you're acting like my mom or something. I'm the older brother here. I'll go where I want to when I want to."

A lot of things about Al's elder brother had changed when he was gone, but his stubborn nature hadn't. Even his temper could still be flared at the small joke or two.

"I was worried about you! You've only just gotten back…what if…what if you disappeared again?" Al muttered, looking at the floor sadly. This made Ed stiffen all over.

"Al…I didn't want to leave you then. And I won't do it ever again. Promise." He walked over and gave his little brother a large bear hug.

"So what were you doing at the General's apartment? I thought you were only going out to eat?"

Ed let go of his brother just as quickly as he had given it. "We didn't do anything!" He flailed slightly as he blushed darkly.

"Then why did you go?" Al quirked an eyebrow.

"Uh…coffee. He wanted me to drink coffee with him."

"Just that, hm?"

"Ya. That's it."

"I knew the General liked you…but I didn't know you liked him back." Al said somewhat suddenly to Ed.

"Of course I…" Ed trailed off, turning even more red than he already had been. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! MY LITTLE BROTHER HAD BEEN CORUPTED!!!" Ed yelled, jumping up and down.

"Ed…calm down. It's easy to tell that the General loves you. When we were in his office today…he smiled. It's very rare to see the General smile at all, let alone so freely. And you like him back, right?"

Ed just stammered as shifted from foot to foot then sighed and said, "I really don't know…I'm really confused."

"Hmmm…I think you should think about it later. You should get some sleep, it's late."

"Right." Ed said, stripping as he headed to one of the cots. "And Al?" He asked, turning the the younger boy as he set up the couch to sleep on.

"Ya?"

"Thanks…"

Ed was pissed. No, not just pissed. Ticked off, angry, mad, fuming, annoyed, pissed, and any other term for being upset in a most negative way you could think of, all at once. Not only had Al abruptly woken Ed up, he had made Ed swallow down large amounts of milk (YUK!) before throwing him in nice clothes and making him march over to the General's office.

"Al...why are we going to the Colonel's office?" Ed was so tired, he didn't even notice the slip of calling the General a Colonel.

"Uh...surprise?" Al smiled slightly.

"I am NOT in the mood for surprises Al!" He growled throatily before starting to dig his heels into the ground. Al pushed harder to try and make his elder brother move.

"Please, Brother! It's a good thing, I swear!" Al tried.

"Nope." And Ed tried even harder when he saw the General turn a corner. Instead of just trying to stop Al's progress, he tried to go backwards and Al had to grip him tightly so that he couldn't run off.

"General Mustang!" Al gave a half salute, "Could you please help with Brother? He won't come see the surprise..."

"Edward...it's not a bad thing. I promise you'll like it." The General gave his famous smirk. And it almost made Ed swoon. Good thing Al was there.

"Uh...uh..."

"Please, I'd really like you to go." The General said, looking straight at Ed.

"Ya, okay." He muttered before giving up all resistance as both the General and his brother took an arm and lead him down the hall.

Three hours later, Ed was sitting around a large round table with all the friends he had made in his travels (including Winry, Rose, Russell, etc.), eating very good food and joking around.

"Alright, well...I think this is enough excitement for one day, don't you agree?" The General asked, standing up and stretching.

"Awwww..." Came the answer from several people. But as soon as Hawkeye moved, they all quickly shut their mouths.

"Ed, may I speak to you in my office?" The General tilted his head slightly toward his office. Currently empty. Edward swallowed visibly, but nodded.

Edward sat awkwardly in the couch sitting not to far in front of the General's desk, having a sense of deja vu. He shifted nervously as he heard the lock on the General's door click.

"Did you enjoy your time with your friends?" Roy asked as he came back to lean against his marble desk.

"Ya...it was great to see everyone. Everyone's so different yet so very much the same." Ed grinned slightly at the thought of all his friends. Friends...yep, he had friends!!!

"I'm really glad."

"Er...General-"

"Roy. We are away from everyone else, call me Roy." And Roy Mustang smiled. Really smiled.

"Right...Roy...uh, I thought a lot last night...and, er..." Ed shifted, looking at the floor as he turned pink-tinted.

"You can tell me anything, Ed."

"I thought about it for a long time and..." He ducked his head into his chest and mumbled something.

"I can't understand you when you do that." Roy walked in front of the boy and squatted down to look him in the eyes. "Can you say it again?"  
"I...I love you?" It sounded much more like a question that a statement. And Ed searched Roy's eye, desperate to find some encouraging sound.

Roy Mustang would never ever forget that moment. It took him a few minutes to register what the boy (man) had said. Then shock took over for another few minutes, and finally, he was able to respond. He threw his arms around the smaller body and pulled him close to him.

At first Ed wanted to pull back from him, but then he realized that he didn't want to. Not really. So he reached up and wrapped his arms around the older man's neck.

"You're sure?" Roy asked quietly, pulling back just enough to see

into Edward's eyes.

Ed nodded once, "Of course I am. I…I love you. That's that. Whether you want me or not; you're going to have me." Roy laughed heartily and kissed Edward soundly on the lips. The kiss soon turned into something more than just a kiss. It was passion and

lust mixed into one small action. But soon they had to breathe, and broke their kiss.

"So that's why you get all the girls…" Ed muttered.

"Heh. But I don't want any girls. I want you." And as he said this, the General pushed Edward back onto the couch, locking him in place with his own body on top.

"But…why? I'm half-machine!" He had never thought anyone could ever want him. And the idea that someone might was incredibly new to him.

"I don't care. You're beautiful. And I love you. I don't need any other reason," Roy stated in a soft voice, lightly nuzzling into Ed's neck and then gently placing butterfly kisses between words.

"Er…Roy…" Ed gasped slightly when Roy's lips met his chest, which had somehow become bare in the few minutes of talk.

"Shhh…it'll be alright." He reassured him, smiling at him. He started to kiss lower and as soon as he got to Ed's navel, the young man started to squirm and grunt.

"Hey…that's ticklish!!!" Ed squirmed again.

Roy smirked, looking up at him, "I didn't know that…" But he left the navel and reached the top of Edward's pants. "May I?" He inquired. Ed paused. He wasn't sure he was ready for this…but he loved Roy. He knew that and he wanted to be with him no matter what, so he nodded. As soon as Roy was given the permission, he slowly unbuckled the belt that held up Ed's slacks. And pretty soon, Ed's pants were tossed aside, leaving him in his boxers.

"Wait," Ed said quickly.

"Yes?" Roy replied patiently.

"This isn't fair…I'm almost naked and you haven't even taken off your jacket!"

"That's true…go ahead then." Roy smirked when Ed seemed disinclined to do so. But upon seeing that smirk, that stupid bastardly smirk, Ed reached up and nearly ripped off Roy's jacket, taking almost no time at all to remove it. He threw it to the side before taking off Roy's shirt as well. But he hesitated once again on Roy's pants. But when Roy kissed his neck again, he threw away all caution and quickly tossed the pants over his shoulder. By this time, Roy was not only hard, but was having difficulty breathing. He never thought he would get to this point with Ed. Not even when the boy was alive! Roy slid a finger over the top band of Edward's boxers, playing around and teasing that he might take them off without actually doing anything. Ed was flushed and he, too, was hard as a rock and Roy's teasing made it worse. "Na…uh…Roy." His voice held a tone of pleading as he thrust upwards slightly.

"Are you asking for something?" Roy teased pulling down gently on the boxers.

"Yes, damnit!" Ed cursed, thrusting again. Roy nuzzled into Edward's neck before finally sliding away the boxers while Ed yanked off Roy's. Almost within a second, they were bumping and grinding against each other. Roy let out a low moan while Ed grunted.

"Ed…" Roy moaned as he started to thrust even harder as Ed groaned under him. Ed felt his climax building up and couldn't help it as he let go of his passion, and as soon as Roy saw the beautiful look of Ed's face, he too released himself, both of them going limp. Roy almost totally covered Ed…almost. Aftermath looked even better on Ed than he could ever imagine. His face was slightly flushed and his swollen lips were just slightly parted. Roy traced a line from one side of Ed's face to his lips and back to the other side.

"What're you…doing?" Ed asked in a rather slurred tone.

"Enjoying the view that's been laid out before me." Mustang smirked and kissed Ed lightly, then nuzzled his neck again. Then, Ed made the oddest noise. Rather like someone trying to purr and it was so funny that Roy couldn't hold back the laughter.

"Are you laughing at me?!" Ed demanded, struggling to sit upright.

"No…I was just laughing at the sound you made…" Roy said, stifling the chuckles that were escaping.

"It's the same thing!!!"

"Oh, come on, Ed…it was cute!" Roy yelped as he was thrown back off the younger man and that same man dressed himself.

"Whatever. I bet Al's looking for me," he ground out.

"Hey! Wait a minute…you're getting all upset over nothing!"

"Whatever, old man. I'm going back to the dorm." He unlocked the door and stormed out, letting the door hang open. When Colonel Hawkeye peeked in, he remembered the clothing that lying on the floor. "Really, Sir, that's not very appropriate. Please get dressed," she addressed him, closing the door with a tight snap.

"Damnit, Ed…" the General sighed as he cleaned himself up, getting dressed.

"I SWEAR I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!" The soon to be former General screamed in terror as he ran quickly from his office. His shirt was half buttoned, pants nearly falling off his slim hips as he ran faster as the sound of a gun being unholstered.  
"I find that hard to believe, sir." Colonel Hawkeye stated calmly, "You were naked…on your couch…with Edward Elric!"  
"It was after he left, I swear!!!!!" The General yelped as a bullet shot past his head.  
"That doesn't excuse your behavior, sir." Another shot went past his arm.  
"Please! Hawkeye!" The General ducked past an open door and went inside. But as it was the General's luck that day, the room he happened to jump inside just happened to be Ed and Al's dorm. And Ed was NOT happy to see him.  
"General, am I to assume that's Hawkeye?" Roy gulped loudly and very obviously.  
"Please, Ed…I wasn't laughing at you, I swear!"  
"Ed…we can't let Hawkeye kill him! It'll be your fault you know!" Al tried to reason. He did like the General, after all.  
"Fine." He clapped his hands. Then tried to jump away from them because of the alchemy light that flared up as his hands hit the door. It had been a long time since he'd seen that. Now the door was a thick lead that would prevent Hawkeye from killing the General…for now. "I'm going to my room." He turned away from Roy quickly, the tip of his pony tail whipping past Roy's nose.  
"Edward! Can't we talk about this?" Mustang asked desperately.  
"There's nothing to talk about, General," Ed snipped as he shut his door with a loud snap.  
"Alphonse…can you help me out here?" He looked over at the younger brother who shrugged.  
"He wouldn't tell me what happened. But uh…why don't you get dressed and we'll talk about it?"  
"Oh. Right." Roy gave him a half-smile.  
"Ed! Just come outside and talk about it! I'm sure the General wasn't laughing at you!" Al tried as he pounded on the now reinforced door.  
"No way. That bastard can rot in hell!"  
"One of these days I'll prove to you that I was born after my parents were married," Roy muttered.  
"General, you aren't helping."  
"Sorry."  
"C'mon, Ed! You can't stay in there forever!" Al yelled.  
"I can try!"  
"Please Edward, can't you at least let me apologize then?" Roy asked. Silence met his words.  
"What are you apologizing for?" Ed muttered.  
"For offending you without meaning to!"  
"What about what happened before that?"  
"I'm not apologizing for that…I wouldn't take back that for the world."  
"Uh…do I want to know?" Al asked before slipping out of the dorm, shaking his head.  
There was a brief flash of light around the door and not only was it normal, but unlocked as well. Roy slowly opened the door and entered the smaller bedroom. "Edward?"  
"Are you really sorry, bastard?" Ed asked from his place on the edge of the bed.  
"Of course I am. I wasn't laughing at you, I swear it! I love you." Roy said as he walked over and wrapped his arms around the younger man.  
"Okay…then maybe we should apologize to Hawkeye before she kills us?"  
"Maybe, but I think Al will take care of it."  
"Al?"  
"Oh…maybe he hasn't told you? He has a crush on Riza. It's very cute actually…"  
"He's gonna die!!!!"  
"C-colonel?" Al stammered from outside of the General's office.  
"Alphonse. Come in." She finished cleaning the gun and safely slipped it back into its holster. "Can I help you with something?"  
"I just wanted to let you know that, uh, the reason Ed and the General were um…y'know, was because I kinda told Ed to…and um, they're really sorry for it." With each word spoken, his face grew a bit pinker.  
"Really?" A very very very slight sense of surprise appeared on her face, "I wouldn't have thought you would let such a thing happen."  
"Well, really I only told Ed he should tell the General how he feels…but you know Brother. He's very impulsive and dense, and you shouldn't blame the General. It was temptation." Brother's going to hurt you for that one, he thought and winced.  
"I suppose, but a General should be able to control himself more than that, I should think."  
"You're right, of course." Al said, becoming slightly braver, "But men are generally weaker about such things if I'm not mistaken."  
"You sound as if you're unsure, which is something that doesn't happen often."  
"Well, I've, er, never come up with that particular situation…that's all." His face went back to being beet red.  
"I don't see why not, you're a very nice and kind young man," the Colonel stated before rising, "Sorry to rush out on you, Alphonse, but I have paperwork I must attend to."  
"Oh no! Don't worry about it…it was nice speaking with you." The alchemist gave a small salute and ran off. Al couldn't have been happier.  
When Al arrived back at his dorm room, he was more than surprised when something came flying at him - his brother.  
"Br-brother?!" Al coughed out as he hit the floor.  
"I was afraid she'd kill you!" he said as he sat up, dragging his brother along in a death grip that no man, woman, nor creature could ever escape by sheer force.  
"I'm fine, Brother! The Colonel is a very nice woman. She only uses her firepower against the lazy people who don't work. And I happen to work very hard."  
"Are you saying that I don't?!"  
"Yes! You've been sitting around for an entire month! You're getting fat!"  
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! I AM NOT FAT!!!!!" Ed flailed his arms and jumped around a bit.  
"Yes, you are! Go get a job or something! I can't support both of our stomachs on my one paycheck!" Al ground out.  
"I'm supposed to be DEAD!" Ed jumped again.  
"That's no excuse!"  
"What!?"  
"Whether or not you're supposed to be dead doesn't matter! You're really alive!" Al stood and put his hand on his hips doing his best impression of 7 foot armor that he could do considering he didn't even know why he wanted to be one.  
"Okay, okay…what do you propose I do then?"  
"Why don't we ask the General?"  
The General snuck as quietly as he could back into the office, hoping with all his might that he did not call the attention of the Colonel who he knew to be quite deadly.  
"General. Did you have a nice lunch break?" First Lt. Havoc asked from across the room. There was a grand old smirk wiped across his face.  
"Wonderful; thank you," the General said, straightening out as he walked more confidently into his office. He would get the Lieutenant back later.  
"That's great; the Colonel is waiting for you in your office." Breda smirked at his superior officer.  
"Thank-you, First Lieutenant," the General ground out as he walked into the office.  
"Sir!" The Colonel snapped to attention, which surprised the General, but he returned it anyways, "Sorry for the insubordination earlier, sir."  
"That's alright, Colonel." Roy let all the tension out. He was afraid that the Colonel was still mad, but apparently Al had spoken to her and had apologized for him. He'd have to treat the boy to dinner one night. Along with Ed, of course.  
"There's still some paperwork for you before you leave." Hawkeye set down a small (for her) stack of papers. "Please finish these before you leave."  
"Thank-you Hawkeye." Roy sat down behind his desk, ready for work again. A little after Roy had finished and was ready to go home, a person appeared in his doorway. That person was probably the only person he would stay in the office any longer than needed for-Ed.  
"I see you're still alive, Bastard." Ed smirked as he leaned against the door frame.  
"Your brother did a good job sweet talking the Colonel."  
"I wouldn't tell her that."  
"Did you want to talk about something or did you just want to come and see my sexy face?" Roy smirked as Ed turned bright red.  
"Actually…Al says I need a job. And…I don't know what to do. I never really thought about getting a job or anything."  
"Hmmm…that does pose a problem. I can't really see you working in an actual office."  
"HEY!"  
"Trying to help!" Roy held his hands up defensively. "What are you good at?"  
"Alchemy."  
"Besides that."  
"Uh…" Ed trailed off trying to think of what he was good at, "I like to read."  
"Why don't you work at the National Library? You used to spend almost all your time there anyways. And you can be quiet anal when you try…I'm sure you'd be wonderful at keeping people quiet there."  
"I'm not anal!"  
"Are too. But this reminds me…" Roy said, walking toward Ed, "Isn't that dorm a bit cramped for the both of you?"  
"Cramped? No…"  
"You don't think so?"  
"Maybe a bit…but we're used to it."  
"He doesn't think so, I'm sure."  
"Do you have point here?" Ed demanded impatiently.  
"Why don't you move out…"  
"And live where?! I'm not going to live out on the street!"  
"I didn't mean that! You didn't let me finish!"  
"You want me to leave my little brother all alone?!"  
"He's gone half the time anyways!!!!" Roy shouted. After a few minutes of heated glares, Roy took a deep breath, "I meant I want you to come live with me" He ran a hand through his hair and looked sideways, not wanting to meet the shocked amber eyes.  
"You want me to…live…with you? Like…a family?" Ed was completely thrown off his axis by this invitation.  
"Ya…and Al's more than welcome to stay over whenever he wants."  
"Uh…I'll, er, think about it. I gotta go." Ed turned to go but was caught by Roy in a strong grip.  
"I love you." Roy leaned and gave Ed a long kiss before letting him run away in embarrassment.

Edward had been thinking about what Roy had suggested. Both things- the job offer and the home. As it turned out, Al was going on a mission the next day leaving Ed without a home (he wasn't allowed to come along, Al explained, because of it being top secret). Without Al, he couldn't stay in the dorms and he had no money to get a hotel room with (and he would _never_ ask his little brother such a thing), so when Al asked if he had a place to stay…  
"Well…the General said that I could stay with him." A deep blush covered his face as he spoke.  
"Oh…did he know I was leaving?"  
"I dunno…he invited me to, er, well, to _live_ with him, more or less." Ed tried to bury himself into the bed he was sleeping on.  
"Really?! That's great, brother! He's been trying to get out of the dorms for years!" Ed looked suspiciously at his younger brother. "Don't look at me like that! It's more like father-son than what _you_ two have." All rolled his eyes before falling asleep.  
So now Ed was alone to dwell on the General's _other_ offer. Working at the National Library had sounded like a great idea…until Ed had remembered that you had to be in the military to work there. And there was no way in hell he was re-joining. But he still wanted to work in a library.  
Maybe he could go to the college library and work there? But the college was far away and, though Edward had learned to drive while in Germany, he had no car to speak of. The high school was in the town square, however, and close to where Roy lived (according to Al).  
But the thought of having to deal with teenagers didn't appeal to him. He wasn't good dealing with them when he _was_ one, let alone now!  
He sighed inwardly and resigned himself to being the herder of loud obnoxious teens.

The day brought around a highly nervous Ed. Al had left early that morning for his mission, effectively kicking Ed (and his few possessions) out of the dorm. Now he stood outside of the General's office, getting ready to tell said General that he now had a roommate.  
Ed tapped lightly on the door, hoping beyond hope that Roy wouldn't hear.  
"Come in." Maybe it was the one eye thing that let him hear it, but hear it, he did. Quietly the door opened and Ed popped him.  
"G-general? Can I speak with you?"  
"Of course. I just finished my first stack of paperwork. There's a small lull while the Colonel gets me more." A small smile ran across his face.  
"Kay…" Ed quickly closed the door before sitting on the couch. The couch where they……. Ed blushed brightly just thinking about it.  
"So what did you need to talk about, Ed?" He was trying to figure out why the boy looked so nervous. He hoped it wasn't something bad.  
"Oh, right. Well, Al's kinda on a mission and I don't have a place to stay…" Oh. That was all this was? Of course Roy knew that Al was on a mission- he was the one who sent him.  
"So…what do you intend to do?" Roy raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, you invited me and all and I think I'd like to work at the high school library, so it's close…"  
"So you want to move in?" Roy finished for him.  
Ed blushed but nodded, letting his eyes stray to the floor, "If you don't mind."  
"Of course I don't, I invited you, after all!" Roy smirked and joined Ed on the couch. "If you don't mind sticking around here until about 5, I can take you to the high school to see about that job."  
"Okay…thanks." The second word was muttered.  
"Did the famous Edward Elric just give thanks to the Flame Alchemist, his ultimate enemy?" Roy teased.  
"Shuddup, Bastard!!" Ed growled.  
"On one condition." He leaned over and captured the younger's lips with his own.  
"**_General_**." A small click was heard and the General was suddenly behind his desk again, a stunned Ed still on his couch. "Sorry, Edward, but the General has work to do," Hawkeye said from the doorway.  
Ed turned bright red from both embarrassment and anger. "He's the one that kissed me!!!" He flailed and yelled in normal Ed fashion before stomping away.

Ed was more or less alone then, sitting at the table where he normally ate lunch. At the thought of food, his stomach growled and informed him that if it didn't get food soon it would implode.  
"I'm sorry, stomach," Ed apologized, "But I don't have any money today."  
Suddenly a hand appeared in front of his nose dangling a chocolate bar. "You shouldn't talk to your stomach, Ed…it's unhealthy."  
Ed, naturally screamed and fell over. Not only had this man come from nowhere- but he was _supposed_ to be dead!!!  
"H-Hughes?!" Ed sputtered as he thought to himself, 'I really _have_ gone crazy…'  
"Sorry to surprise you." The goofy man known only as the picture-crazed Maes Hughes stood above him.  
Not too soon before Edward left this world to save his brother, the Lt. Colonel was reported to have died in action (in reality, he was killed by Envy- but that did no explain why the man was alive!!  
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Ed." The man grinned.  
"You're a ghost?!" Ed screamed and scooted along the floor to get away from the apparition.  
"Don't be silly." The man crossed his arms. "I suppose Al didn't know to tell you and Roy probably just wanted to see you flail…" He reached over and helped Ed to his feet. "It's a _very_ long story, but, in short, I'm not dead. I managed to get away while one of my staff distracted them. Sadly, he was killed. Everyone thought it was me, but after the new government took over, I came out of hiding. Roy just about burned me to death and I nearly gave my poor wife a hear attack. Oh! But look!"  
Ed didn't have time to run as Maes pulled out stacks of pictures. All of Elysia. "Look how she's grown!!"  
"Wow…she has grown." Ed smiled as he looked at the nine year old. She had only been three last time Ed had seen her.  
"Sorry that I didn't make it for your party yesterday, but I was in East City."  
"That's alright…are you still a Lt. Colonel?" Ed asked.  
"Nope. I'm a Colonel. I was demoted when I returned to a Second Lieutenant but I've made my way quickly back up. With the help of the General, of course."  
"Of course. You wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me, Hughes." Roy sat down casually next to Edward, only to be punched by him.  
"Why didn't you _tell_ me he was alive, Bastard?!"  
"I wanted to see your reaction…"  
"I told you." Maes grinned.  
"Bastard!"  
"Shorty."  
"Old man."  
"I am _not_ old!"  
"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."  
"We're _not_ lovebirds!" Ed shrieked.  
"Aww…you don't love me anymore, Edward?"  
"I _never_ loved you, bastard!"  
Roy raised an eyebrow. "That's not what you said yesterday…"  
Ed sunk below the table, turning red as he went. "Bastard…"  
"You know you love me.

Ed spent most of his morning and afternoon helping Hawkeye. He quickly ran between the General and the Colonel, carrying large stacks of paper each time.  
"Here's some more things for you to sign, Mustang." Ed set a rather large stack of papers on his desk. Ever since Roy had teased Ed in the cafeteria that morning, Ed had gone back to using "Mustang" rather than "Roy" and Roy did not take it well.  
The General slumped over his desk and groaned when he opened his eye to look at the papers. "I don't think I like you helping the Colonel," he moaned out, "I've signed about three times as much as normal today!"  
"Hey, you're the one that picked your job, buddy, not me." Ed smirked at him. Of course, Ed didn't mind delivering paperwork…it was the bane of Roy's existence, therefore Ed's new best friend. "And this is the last one today…"  
Mustang immediately shot up and started signing papers. It was rather like someone had flipped a switch.  
Ed hummed as he grabbed the stack of papers in the "out" box and headed back to Col. Hawkeye.

At exactly five p.m., the General closed and locked his door for the night. It was a rare sight, indeed. Before Ed disappeared, Roy would leave early nearly everyday to go on some sort of date (for which Hawkeye shot at him multiple times) and _after_ Ed disappeared, Roy would stay late, trying to work his way back up the military ladder (not that Ed knew that part).  
"I'm surprised you actually did all your paperwork," Ed said behind him, making him jump slightly.  
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I enjoy my work now." Roy smiled.  
Ed snorted. "Like I believe _that_. You certainly didn't look like you enjoyed it while I was giving you more paperwork."  
Roy grimaced. "Well, that's because I had reason to want to go home today."  
"Like what?" Ed asked in a 100 innocent kind of way.  
"Because I get to spend an entire night with you." Roy grinned as Ed flushed deeply.

Al sighed; it had been a long while since he had felt this alone. Even without his brother around, the General and the Colonel were there for him. An overly bright smile came to his face when he thought of the Colonel.  
Sadly he was jarred away from his thoughts by the train pulling to an abrupt stop. "Last stop! All passengers are to exit!"  
Last stop? But Al was supposed to ride this train to East City…so why was he suddenly in…he looked out the window.  
Lior?!?! Al toppled out of his train compartment completely confused. That is…until he was blindfolded and he was hit on the back of the head.  
The last thing he heard was a familiar voice saying, "So this is the pipsqueak's little brother…" Then he was out.

Ed sat quietly at the small dinner table where Roy had left him. They'd only been there for ten minutes and already Ed was uncomfortable and wanting to go back to his quiet dorm room. While it was true that technically he and Roy had already had sex...well, maybe not. All they did was...but Ed didn't finish his thought as Roy walked back to the table, handing a cup of coffee to Ed.

"Black, right?" The General asked as he sat across the table from Edward. Ed nodded numbly, still rather nervous and now just the smallest bit horny."What's wrong? Am I that scary, Ed?" Roy teased him.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ed scathed at the man.

"Alright, alright..." Roy lifted his hands in a customary 'I give' gesture. "So...what would you like for dinner? I'm not accustomed to cooking for people anymore, and I don't think I own much to cook anyways. I usually just eat out."

"Oh. I could cook, if you don't mind." Roy gave him a surprised look, "What?"

"You can cook?"

"Of course I can cook!!!" Ed snapped, "When Al and I were still searching for the stone, I had to cook all of my own meals. Al couldn't taste anything so he was just a horrid cook at the time."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Though...I do tend to make messes." He gave a small grin.

"Alright, well, we can order out too."

"Great!"

"So, what _can_ you cook?"

"German food." He grinned then turned a bit more serious, "But that's mostly just sausage. I can cook mostly anything from scratch...though it takes a lot longer. Chicken's really good."

Roy smiled, "You'll have to cook later then. But for now...I'll go ahead and order us some Xing food, if that's alright with you?"

"Sure. That stuff is great."

Alphonse groaned as he shifted and tried to sit up. He didn't make it more than an inch before a boot landed heavily on his shoulder, forcing him back down to the cold flood. "Oof." His lungs forced the sound from his lips. He couldn't feel much, that was probably due to lying on the cold floor for unknown hours but he knew that his hands were tied (they were pulsing because the ropes were so tight) as were his feet. Hobbled was what he was...like a piggy in a rodeo. How embarrassing.

"You should just stay where you are, alchemist." The voice that said this was vaguely familiar but Al couldn't truly put any face with it.

"Who's there?" Just as Al was about to turn his head, the foot shifted from his shoulder to head, forcing it down on the hard ground. Al could feel the blood start to flow from a cut there. _At least the blood's warm_, he thought.

"Last time I saw you, small fry, you weren't small. Actually, I believe you were a seven foot piece of armor. On the ground. Glowing."

"Wha-?" Al was confused. He had been seven feet tall? That wasn't even humanly possible. Then the rest of his captor's words caught up to him. "Armor?"

"I suggest," The voice grew cold, "That you shut. UP!" The last word was punctuated by a kick to his side. The kick had enough force to send Al rolling into the wall. Now he could see his captor. He was tall, wearing a tank top and shorts. His hair was green and looked...well, rather like a tropical tree if you asked Al. But his most noticeable feature were his violet eyes. The second more noticeable thing was an ouroboros tattoo on his left thigh. Al thought it a very odd type of tattoo.

Just then a very sudden sense of deja vu. Not only that, but he kept getting pictures of what seemed to be Ed (but much younger) fighting this person in front of him. He also (as if by magic) now knew that this was not a person at all. But a homunculi. Whatever that was.

"That's better." The homunculi crossed his arms smartly, smirking, "Listen, kid, I'm in charge here. Not you. If I ask a question, you answer it. If I tell you to do something, you nod and do it. Got it?" Al nodded quickly. "Good. Firstly. Where's the pipsqueak?"

"Who?" Al demanded, confused at the creature's own demand. Who in the world was he talking about? Another kick in the stomach stopped all those thoughts.

"I mean, brat, your brother. Edward Elric. The famous Fullmetal Alchemist."

"My brother? How do you know my bro-" Al was silenced by a kick to the head.

"Just answer my god damned question!!! Where the fuck is he?!"

"In Central." Al didn't want to tell this…thing where Ed was. But he certainly couldn't escape from here if the thing beat him up so badly he couldn't move.

"Where in Central?" It demanded. Al decided that the homunculi would be an it. Because it certainly wasn't a he or a she. It was, well, an it.

Al didn't want to tell him 'At the General's.' Not only would that give away too much, but it might get the General hurt along with his brother.

"Tell me." It growled, kicking him into the wall again.

"He lives in the dorms." Al muttered. He could taste the blood welling up in his mouth.

"Great. Thanks." The thing pushed a hand through the palm tree hair of it's and then walked through a large metal door that Al had failed to see earlier.

Al heaved a sigh of relief as the thing left. Maybe now he could find a way out. He looked around carefully at his new room. There was nothing special about it. Just a carved out block of cement with a metal door planted on one of the walls. There were no windows and no holes in the wall. He definitely needed to get out of there. He wanted to use his gloves, but the thing had taken them.

As quietly as Al could, he took out a nail file that happened to be in his pants pocket (Al liked to keep his appearance up, unlike his elder brother). Quickly he started to file away at the rope. The ropes fell to the floor and he did the same to his hands. Rubbing his wrists to ease the pain, he stood up carefully.

Walking over to the door, Al placed his ear on the door, hoping to find out if maybe he had a guard. He could hear two people talking.

"Envy sure has been smiling a lot since he brought in that kid." One said.

"Well of course he is." The other said, "Since he was brought back from that other place, he's been trying to find a way to kill the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I thought he died?"

"I heard he came back with Envy a few months ago."

"Wow. So how does Envy plan on killing him?"

"I think he wants to lure him here with that kid. Think it's his brother or some shit."

"D'ya think Envy'll let us watch?"

"Maybe, if we keep the kid here."

All Al wanted to do after that was get the hell out of there.

After dinner had been scarfed down and both men sat satisfied with their stomachs, Ed stretched and yawned. This was his thing…eating. He could do it all the time if he felt like it and it was something he liked to do a lot.

"Tired?" Roy inquired from across the small table.

"Eating will do that to ya." Ed returned.

"I suppose."

"Um…hey, Roy?" Ed had been wondering something since he had been invited over.

"Yes?"

"Er…where exactly did…uh…you want me to sleep?" Ed ducked his head sheepishly.

Roy just laughed.

"Wha-what?!" Ed demanded.

"Nothing at all, Ed." Roy smiled at the younger man, "You can sleep wherever you're comfortable. There's a spare room across from mine, there's the couch…"

"Uh." Ed tried to duck his head again, "Wha…what about, er, your…your room?"

"There's that too." Roy said as if this were just a normal conversation.

"You don't, um, mind?"  
"Should I mind sleeping in the same bed as someone I love?" Roy replied.

"Well, the automail gets cold at night sometimes…and…" Ed was cut off by a small kiss from Roy.

"Don't worry about it. I love everything about you." Ed looked doubtful, "Including your automail."

Ed smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Right."

Roy had left Ed alone for a bit so that Ed could have the chance of getting used to being in Roy's room. The one bag of Ed's stuff sat in an oak chair against the west wall next to the door leading to the hallway and other rooms, facing the long king-sized bed on the east. To the north was a large window with a small ledge that you could sit on. There Ed noticed an alchemy book, though he didn't want to touch it in case it upset Roy. On the south wall was another door that lead to the bathroom as Ed discovered and next to said door was a small wardrobe.

Ed thought that Roy wouldn't mind if he just peeked inside, so he did. Three uniforms and a suit. Plus the old man's only jacket. Ed couldn't help but think _I'm going to have to get him to buy himself some new clothes…_ then he realized that that implied him staying here longer than Al was away and quickly shoved the thought away.

Before Roy could come back into the room, Ed wanted to change into his nightclothes. Which now consisted of boxer shorts and a black tank top (this hadn't changed at all in six years…some habits just won't die). Unfortunately, Roy came back a bit sooner than Ed had expected him to. Roy opened the door to reveal a half-naked Ed clad only in his black and red boxers.

Roy spluttered.

"S-sorry…guess I should have knocked." Roy turned as if to leave so that Ed could have some privacy. It wasn't that Roy was embarrassed, because he'd seen Ed naked before…he just wanted to make sure the boy (man!) was comfortable.

"No, that's okay. This is your room, I hardly think you need to knock." Ed huffed. He was simply trying to keep his voice steady, though it hardly worked.

"Oh." Roy closed the door with a small snap as Ed pulled on his black tank top. "Do you mind if I change then?"

"Go ahead…like I said, it's _your_ room." With his normal flair, Ed landed on the large silk-laden bed with a _fump_.

"Thanks." Roy quickly stepped out of his uniform until he stood in his own blue boxers and white undershirt. Hanging up his uniform, he opened a door at the bottom of the wardrobe to pull out a clean shirt to wear to bed.

Ed sat on the bed and tried hard not to look over at Roy, but the man was so…hott. The only word that could describe him better would've been sexy. "Enjoying your show?" Roy teased.

"Wha-?!" Ed spluttered and nearly feel off the bed seeing as how he'd started leaning to the side to get a better view.

"I could just go to bed naked." Roy suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Nee!" Was all the came from the bean-sized man as he actually feel to the floor.

"It's not as if you hadn't seen me naked before, Edward." Roy said as he helped the man to his feet, wearing naught but his sparkly blue boxers.

"Oh shit…even your UNDERWEAR is fancy!!!" Ed said, forgetting for a second about the conversation before hand.

Roy snorted, "Excuse me for liking my underwear." He climbed into the bed, a bit more elegantly than Edward himself had.

"I didn't say I didn't like it." Then Ed blushed as he realized that he'd just complimented the man's UNDERWEAR. _Shit, shit, shit, I'm making myself look like a fucking idiot! Get a hold of yourself Ed!!!_

"Oh…so you like my underwear, eh?" Quick like a cheetah Roy was on top of the younger man, pinning him to the bed. Straddling him with his hands pinned above his head, Roy bent down and kissed Edward softly on the lips.

"Hey-mf." Ed couldn't finish his sentence as their lips met in a rush of heat.

"You put yourself here, you realize." Roy stated calmly as he relinquished his hold on the other's lips.

"Uh-huh." Ed was still slightly dazed by that kiss. Damn the man could kiss!

"Your lack of vocabulary is reassuring." Roy murmured before issuing another star-blazing kiss. Without another thought, Roy slid his hand up Ed's tank top, letting his fingers gently run over his nipples. Only to make Ed issue that delicious moan of his.

"Roy…" Ed muttered, moving his hips up slightly. Then he realized how easily the man had just made him horny. Two kisses and a few touches. And not even to the right places! But Ed could've cared less at the moment.

"What?"

"Nnn…" Ed pushed himself up against Roy again due to Roy pinching him slightly.

"You've got to tell me what you want Edward. Otherwise I can't help you."

"I want you…" Was all Ed said before they heard a phone ring somewhere.

"What the hell?!" Roy demanded as he jumped from the bed and ran to get the phone located somewhere in the house.

"Damnit."

Roy came rushing back into the room only about five minutes later.

"What's up?"

"First, don't get alarmed, okay?"

"What happened to Al?" It was amazing at how easily the boy jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong with Al.

"Nothing…that we know of. It's just, his train never made it to the station. They think it was hijacked somewhere along the way."

"WHAT?!" In an instance Ed was up and dressed. "Where?" He demanded.

"Ed, you can't just--"

"I can too! That's my brother!"

"But you might get hurt."

"I don't care!!! I've GOT to help Al!" Roy knew there was no point in trying to reason with him about not going.

"Okay, but one, I'm going with you, and two, we're taking my team. This could be dangerous."

"Fine. Get dressed, bastard."

Al sat down on the cold ground, now desperate to get out of there thanks to the guard's conversation. What could he do? He had to try and save his brother! This was bad…

The homunculus was evidently smart because he had taken away his gloves, therefore keeping him effectively inside his little box. There wasn't even anything lying around to etch into the stone with. What else could he use to make a transmutation circle? One thing…

Blood.

A picture suddenly flashed within his mind. Something had triggered a memory. But he didn't remember this happening to him. He and his brother were standing next to a large and complicated alchemy circle. In the middle was a large bucket full of…something. Ed cut his finger, then Al's and they both let a drop of blood slide down their finger into the mass in the middle of the circle.

What in the world was Al missing? He never recalled anything like that happening to him, yet what else could it be but a memory? And he couldn't help but pause and think about it. It was something he did a lot. Something was missing in his life. He'd known that. And he had thought it was just his missing brother. But even after Ed had come back something felt…wrong. And Ed had to know. He'd been there too.

But Al didn't have time to ponder about this at the moment. He needed to get out of this hell hole. So…blood. How could he get blood? There wasn't anything around to cut himself with, so instead he chose his teeth. He would bite down on his thumb and draw blood. Which he did. When he had a slow flow of blood, he smeared it onto the door in what was a simple but effective transmutation circle.

As he finished the circle, another "memory" came to him in a flash. This time it was of a river. He couldn't see himself, but Ed was there, telling him not to go into the water because the blood seal in his helmet might wash off. And then what would they do? But Al didn't have a helmet on, he could tell because there wasn't anything constricting on his head. Was in in armor of some sort? Why wasn't Ed in anything then?

_I don't have time for this!_ Al chided himself and then touched his fingers briefly to the circle.

"Hawkeye, I need you, Havoc, Breda, Fury, and Falman all at the train station in less than an hour." There was a small reply on the other side of the line, "Yes, we're going after Al. Yes, bring your gun. Yes, disguise would be nice. Thank-you." Roy smartly hung up the phone. He couldn't remember a time where Riza had been anything but calm and collected. It seemed she was quiet worried over Alphonse. He shrugged slight and went to go sit with his lost-looking lover. Ed had demanded that they get on the next train and find Al, so Roy had naturally taken him to the station. No one in their right mind would not listen to Ed when his brother was in trouble.

And it was hard to calm Ed when the ticket booth man had informed them that due to certain classified things (like the hijacking of Al's train Ed said) the trains weren't running at the moment, and they'd have to wait for the morning train. Ed couldn't stand the idea of that, so Roy told him that they'd take cars and follow the tracks until they found where Al was.

"I hope he's okay." Ed muttered. He'd been doing that a lot. And the way Ed sat with his legs up and his arms tightly hugging his knees was so adorable. But Roy knew that this was certainly not the time to inform his lover of this. And it was just an added bonus that Ed hadn't thought to grab a hair tie on the way out, so his hair was still down from their previous engagement. His eyes were the only thing that really gave away any feeling at all. You could see pain and worry there and it made Roy want to pull the smaller man close to him and comfort him.

But he knew better than that. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine." And though Roy tried to brighten those dark amber eyes, they just wouldn't light.

Before the two guards could tell what was going on, they were knocked out by a kick each. To their head. Delivered by Al. Quickly he tore a piece of cloth from one of the guards shirts and tied it carefully around his finger to stop the bleeding. _That'll have to do for now….Now then. Where's the exit?_

He looked around carefully, keeping to the darker shadows of the hall he was apparently in. This seemed to be part of a shelter of some sort. He'd heard of such things from Rose when he last visited. They'd built it for in case of another military invasion, or so he was told.

As he let his eyes adjust to the sparse lighting in the darkened hall, he could see other doors. He wondered if maybe that monster palm tree had taken other people from Lior….It seemed highly unlikely as the thing had been looking for his brother. Apparently, it had something against Ed. Something Al seemed to be a part of, though he couldn't remember for the life of him why.

_Damnit! _It was so odd for Al to forget something that it was difficult for him to deal with. Why couldn't he remember this? He knew there was something he was missing. And it seemed that only he was missing it! What was everyone hiding from him?!

Al shook his head and started down the hallway. He didn't have time for those thoughts. He would dwell on the matter _after_ he got out of wherever he was.

When Al came to the first door, he tried to open to see if there were perhaps a person there. But the door was locked, and Al couldn't afford to waste any more time than he needed to. He promised he'd return with the military as soon as he could and then moved on.

"Sir?" First Lieutenant Hawkeye waved her hand in front of her superior officer's eyes. "Sir, I have news about Al's train…"

Both Roy and Ed were instantly asking her questions but were silenced when the stern woman pulled out her gun. "An unscheduled train arrived today in Lior about noon. There were a number of confused riders, but they were told the train stopped for repairs and that they would be another train ready for them soon. No one has heard from Al in the city."

"Lior?!" Edward hardly wanted to hear that place mentioned, let alone to have to go there, but this was for his little brother! "Roy, we have to go now!"

"That's not so easy, Edward." Roy sighed heavily.

"What do you mean?! Of course it is! You said we could take those cars…" Ed growled at his lover.

"Ever since the near-war there, the military hasn't been welcome in Lior, and we haven't touched the place. They're still terrified of the military and what we might do to them. Major Armstrong has been undercover there for a while, trying to help clean up the mess we made, but it was hard to get him there." Roy tried to explain calmly, though he knew that Ed would not take it lightly.

"So stay here then! You're just fucking scared that your face'll get messed up!" Ed yelled angrily. Rather abruptly he was shoved against the closest wall. "Wha-?!"

"I am **not** worried about myself, Ed! I'm worried about you!" Roy growled, "If you get hurt, it will be **my** fault. I couldn't…" He eased up just a bit, "I couldn't live with that." Riza coughed once and Roy turned away from him.

"I **won't** get hurt." Ed mumbled.

"Edward, we realize how much you want to help you're brother. We're worried just as much as you are." Riza said calmly, though in her eyes (thankfully no one was looking) you could tell she was crying inside.

"You just came back, boss. We don't want you to disappear again." Havoc chipped in.

"Whatever." Ed said crossly, not one to like mushy dialogue.

"I never said we wouldn't help, Alphonse…just that we're going to have to do a lot of round about stuff to get there without getting ourselves killed." Roy sighed as he regained his composure. "We won't be of any help to Al if we're dead."

"We'll have to use disguises. He's very right, Ed." Falman offered to the conversation. "And we don't even know for sure if Al really needs our help."

"Of course he does!!!" Ed screamed, "He would've called if he was okay! He's thoughtful like that! He knows I worry about him! He wouldn't purposely not tell me something this important…"

"Please, Ed, you have to calm down. We can't help him at all if we sit here fighting about this." Ed shut-up.

Al sighed heavily as he leaned against yet another locked door. This was probably about the 50th door he had tried and his hope that it would be unlocked had become almost 0. Would he ever be able to get out of this seemingly never-ending hallway?!

"Why is it that brother always has these fantastic adventures and all I get are the things that never-end but are boring?" He sighed as he trudged off once again.

Two more locked doors…and…a staircase?!

Al almost sung out his happiness. Quickly he started up the stairs, eager to get out of the never-ending hallway of locked doors.

"How can anyone believe this?!" Ed grumped as he sat across from the 'married couple'.

"What do you mean, darling?" Ed flinched when that came from Hawkeye's mouth. Sure they were supposed to be under cover…but did she really have to call him darling?! And why the fuck was HE the child?!

"You're not old enough to have kids…especially not my age!" Ed growled lowly.

"So you admit that I'm not really old?" Roy asked with his customary smirk.

"I meant _mother_."

"Fine…" Roy pouted as Riza gave Ed a polite smile.

"I think that's the first compliment I've received from you, Edward. Thank-you."

"So, _dad_, are we there yet?" He said with a wicked grin.

Roy just glared.

"Approximately 2 hours, love." Ed just shuddered again.

Al had graduated. Now that he had escaped the never-ending hall, he was on the never-ending stairs. And it was making him claustrophobic. He like being trapped in anything for very long. Trapped…like he had been.

When had he been trapped? He thought, as he sat down for yet another rest. Trapped…trapped where? Another voice in his head said, "Why, in the armor of course."

Armor? What armor? He didn't remember an armor…and how could he have been trapped in armor? This was making his head hurt…

"I need to get moving again." He muttered to himself and did just that.

Hughes Maes and Alex Armstrong were waiting for the trio when their train pulled into the station in Lior. Ed had expected Armstrong, but not Hughes. He looked up at Roy, but he was too busy scowling. Ed had insisted on calling him 'dad' every five minutes.

"Edward Elric!!!!" The large man said as he squeezed the younger alchemist in a tight hug. "It has been a long time!"

"Nice…to…see…you too…" Ed said as he tried to breath.

"Alex…how nice to see you again." Riza said, trying to distract the man from his Ed teddy bear.

"Riza, you look lovely as ever." Armstrong said as he let go of said teddy bear.

"Hughes, we need to get a move on." Roy snapped. This was nice, but it wasn't time for niceties. They had to find Al.

"Of course, we have someone waiting to take your stuff to the hotel." Hughes lead the way outside of the train station as everyone else followed.

Ed's only thoughts were of his brother and how weird everyone looked without their uniform.


	2. Chapter 2

After about another hour of trudging up more of the never-ending stairs, Al had to stop and rest. His body just wasn't up to all these stairs after fighting and being beaten by the monster. He figured he was either going in circles and didn't know it **or** he was going to the roof of an extremely large building. Neither of which Al liked the idea of.

"I wish Brother were here…he always came up with the brilliant escapes." As soon as Al realized what he had said, he knew that, once again, he was showing signs of having forgotten something. "That's it! I give up! I'll figure this out **then** maybe you'll let me go!" He screamed, looking pointedly at the stairs sitting under his boots.

Now then. What was he missing? It seemed to him, that he'd lost a good chunk of his memory. Ed was 22...and he was only 15. But it had made sense when his brother had first reappeared. He was supposed to be that age. Just like Al was supposed to be 15. And he had never questioned it before. But it didn't make sense. None at all. Before Ed had disappeared, Ed had only been a year older than Al. And Ed was 10. Al was 9. How much time had he really missed?!

So how exactly could Al forget--no, lose six years of his life? He couldn't have just forgotten them, he'd be older. When had he been trapped in armor? And what the hell was a blood seal?!

As Al thought of all these questions, he stared down at his own flesh hands. He could remember, slightly, when he didn't have the touch that he felt. He couldn't feel, he couldn't taste…he couldn't remember. Slowly, those flesh hands were replaced my steel gauntlets. Gauntlets that belonged to the armor, that Al had been.

But even if Al had tried to think harder about that, he couldn't. Because Alphonse Elric had passed out. 

Roy had been gone for a number of odd hours, along with Maes and Havoc. They had gone in search of any sign of Al and had promised that they would call if there was even a slight hint at his whereabouts. Armstrong and Hawkeye had gone to find food, hoping to calm the bristle that had once been Edward.

Ed was more than a nervous wreck without his little brother. It was hard enough to live those six awful years in Germany without him…but now he finally had him back and the smallest idea that he might have lost him again made Ed go insane.

His hair was braided back like always, but the hair that had escaped had become very upset because of the hands constantly tugging at it. Ed's normally bright amber eyes were even more dulled by having not slept for over a day and his clothes, which still didn't feel right, looked rather like rags.

A knock on the hotel room door made Ed jump with fright, but he quickly brushed it off and went to see who it was. Outside was Roy, so naturally, Ed let him in.

"Did you find out anything?!" Ed somehow managed to not notice that Roy was now back in uniform, when clearly that would get him shot in Lior.

"Huh?" The older man looked confused for a second.

"About Al! My brother? The one you were _supposed_ to be looking for?!" Ed snapped at him. The man shook his head slightly.

"No…there weren't any signs of him. I'm sorry." When Ed turned away from him, quickly brushing away the tears that came, he continued, "But I'm sure we'll find him soon."

"I…I'm just worried. That's all." Ed whispered fiercely before tugging the taller man into a tight hug. It was then that Ed realized the uniform. "What the--?" He pushed back, looking up at a face that was no longer that of Roy Mustang's.

When Al next woke up, he had time to realize only two things before pain rushed to his body and he passed out again. One was that he wasn't on the never-ending stairs. Instead he seemed to be back in the room where the monster had beat him and now he was attached to the wall. The second thing was that he wasn't alone in the room. There was someone else hanging on the opposite wall. But before Al could even try to make out who it was, he was out again. 

"Al! No! Wake-up!" Ed screamed at his little brother, but when the younger Elric's body went limp again, Ed just hung his head. He'd been trying to wake his brother up for an hour at the least. Ever since he'd woken up there himself.

No more than three hours ago, Ed had been safe inside the hotel room where Roy had left him, wondering how Al was doing. But then Envy had come in, acting like Roy. How could Ed believe for even a second that that monster had been the man he loved?!

Bam! Ed continued to slam his head back against the wall until he could feel the warm blood run down his neck. He had fallen right into Envy's trap. He had betrayed his lover. He'd promised he wouldn't get hurt….

But before Ed could fight back, Envy had slammed his head against his knee, knocking him out. Al had needed his older brother, needed him more than ever, and Ed was too incompetent to even run away from his captor.

Before Ed could continue to bash his head in, the door to the plain white room opened with a small creak. Ed didn't need to look up to know who it was. But when he did, the homunculus had a disgusting smirk on his face that made Ed more infuriated that he could ever remember being.

"Bashing your pretty head in won't help you now," A soft, sinister chuckled came from him, "Not even your precious Colonel can help you now." On the word Colonel, he changed to look like Roy and Ed nearly threw up.

"Don't use his face, you fucker!!" Ed screamed, straining hard against his chains.

"But Edward…don't you miss me?" Roy/Envy asked in Roy's voice. It was the soft tone that Ed remembered from when they had been in bed together.

"S-shut-up! You're not him!" Ed strained against the chains again, "You're nothing like him. You're a monster!"

"But Ed…" Roy/Envy's hand gently ran over Ed's battered and bruised face, "You can't mean that." Ed wanted to turn away, or to bite the thing's hand…but it was Roy.

No…it looked like Roy. Ed snarled, but stopped when he heard someone else moving. Chains.

"General?" A weak voice from the other side of the room made Roy/Envy turn, "Are you here to save us?" 

Al couldn't remember how he'd gotten where he was or why his Brother or the general were there, but he could remember everything else. He could remember losing his mother, trying to bring her back, losing his body…the Gate. Everything. Including the pain. He must have been brought back when Ed was thrown in here. But why was the Colo-no General now, Al corrected himself as he remembered both lives, why was he here?

"Al! You're ok?" Ed asked worriedly, straining to see his brother past Roy/Envy's head. For a second, he had forgotten where he was and who was standing in front of him.

"Yea, I think so. But we are in need of a long talk…after we get out of here." Al eyed the General. From Al's second life, he knew about Lior and it's non-military policies. So why was the General in his uniform? Then he remembered the monster. No, it had been Envy who had beaten him. "What're you doing acting like the General?!"

"I'm so glad you remember me now, mini-pipsqueak." Envy taunted as he changed back to the palm-tree haired form.

"Leave Al alone! Your issue is with me, not him! So leave him the fuck outta it!"

Envy turned back towards Ed, "I bet you haven't told him a thing about Germany." Ed's eyes grew in fear. "He doesn't know about your family there, does he? About how you replaced him."

"What?" Al looked hurt. And it made Ed hurt more.

"Don't! He doesn't need to know about that! It's not important!" Ed stammered out as confidently as he could.

"But I think he does. You loved her, didn't you? And your brother-in-law? Who just happened to be named Alfonse?" Envy taunted him, grinning all the while, "About how you replaced him?"

"NO! I never replaced him!!!" Ed screamed, the tears escaping his eyes before he realized it.

"Yes you did. You replaced him. You forgot about your own brother!"

"NO!" The anguish gushed from Ed's lips in a horrible scream. "I never forgot Al. I love my brother!"

"Al deserves better than you. You forgot him. Replaced him. Hated him. Hated your life."

"No…no…" Ed muttered, tears running freely down his cheeks.

"Yes. You deserve to die."

"Brother!" Al yelled, interrupting Envy's own little torture, "Don't listen to him! I know you would never forget me!"

Ed looked across at his brother, tears still running from surprised eyes, "Al…"

"Don't listen to him, Brother…I remember. I remember everything now."

"Al…"

Roy Mustang looked frantically around the hotel for any trace of Edward. When he and Maes had returned to find Ed's hotel room empty, the door slightly ajar, Roy had bgun to shout orders like the military officer he was trained to be. But in his mind, he was panicking like nothing else. If only he hadn't let Ed come along or maybe if he simply hadn't left him alone!

"Maybe he went looking for Al?" Havoc suggested but with a glare from his commanding officer, he quickly shut his mouth.

Roy knew that Ed wanted to find Al, but he also knew that Ed was smart and wouldn't have run off like that. Especially when Roy had asked him to stay where hwas.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Riza said when the hotel's occupant acorss the hallway had opened his door, "But have you seen anyone in the past hour come to or from this room?" she pointed back towards Ed's room.

"…sure did." He grumbled, obviously having just woken up.

"Who?!" Roy demanded angrily.

"Uh…he looked like you. Only younger," Roy scowled, "He had shorter hair and didn't have the eye patch, but looked almost exactly like you. Got a twin?"

"What was he wearing, if you remember?" Riza asked politely while Roy tried to figure out what the fuck the man was speaking about. He wasn't there an hour ago. He had only come back maybe ten minutes ago.

"Oh…looked like a military uniform. Kinda confused me. I didn't think the military was brave enough to show their faces around here."

"They aren't."

Envy turned and growled at Al, "You're wrong…your brother had a family. A brother. Who he replaced you with."

"I don't care if Brother had five families in wherever!" Ed looked up at his brother with a surprised, but admirable look, "He wouldn't have replaced me! No matter what you say…my brother wouldn't forget me. He wouldn't forget Mom or what happened!"

Envy stalked (no, not walked…he never just walked) to the younger Elric and drove his fist into the small boy's stomach. "I was actually considering to let you live, but not anymore. You shoulda kept your fucking mouth shut!"

Normally Ed would have been worried about his little brother. But for once, he had to hope that his brother could take care of himself for a few minutes because the distraction was great. Before, Ed hadn't had the determination or the will to try and escape. He was too worried about Al and how he had let him down. Now he wanted to make up for it.

Pushing back on the wall with his feet, Ed lifted his hands higher and was just able to make a silent slap. Thankfully, Envy had left the chains slightly loose. "I think," Ed sneered, "You have more important worries." In one fluid motion, Edward had pushed his hands to the wall, causing blue electricity to run through it in a violent alchemic reaction.

Ed hadn't done any alchemy since his return. He'd been so caught up in trying to let his wounds (both physical and mental) heal and then Roy…so Ed hadn't used his alchemy in six years. Needless to say it had been building up. So when Ed finally let it go…

CRACK! BAM! BOOM!

The entire wall fell and created a giant cloud of dust making it hard for everyone to see. But Ed first wanted to make sure Al was okay, "Al?!" Ed shouted, coughing as he inhaled some of the dust in. He could just barely make out the shape that was Al hanging on the wall. But where did Envy go…?

"There are more important things to worry about, pipsqueak!" Envy growled as he came flying down to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist's automail.

After talking for a few minutes, Roy and his team had come up with only one possible situation as to what had happened.

"It had to be someone from my past, who hadn't seen me in at least six years." Roy thought aloud, "But who could that be?"

"Could it be the homunculi?" Armstrong asked. Everyone there could recall exactly who and what the homunculi were and how dangerous they were. Especially Mustang and Maes.

"But where would it have hid for six years?" Riza asked diplomatically.

"Maybe wherever the boss was." Have suggested.

"If it was a homunculus it would have to be the one who attacked me. The shape-shifter. It could easily have turned into Roy, or who he remembered as Roy, and tricked Ed into coming with it."

"Ed would know it wasn't me."

"How?" Riza asked quietly.

"Well for one, he heard me talk about the uniforms and for another, I didn't have an eye patch on. Surely he would have noticed that."

"When he's so caught up in his own worries about Al?"

"Shit." And Roy was off.

Roy was lost. Hopelessly, utterly, lost. He'd only been in Lior two or three times and the desert city was rather…vast. And it didn't help that all the building there looked relatively the same.

"How can I help Ed when I'm lost myself?" The General growled to himself. Of course, he shouldn't have just left everyone back at the hotel…but he was worried. Some _thing_ had stolen the one person that Roy Mustang lived for! He'd been searching for something this important to him his entire life. He had thought it was his country, he had thought it was his team, but no…it was one very short, hot-tempered alchemist. Whom he loved more than life itself and was now missing! This was all his fault!

Roy nearly fell over when a building only a few yards away fro him suddenly acquired a rather large hole and a huge dust cloud. Even from where he was, Roy recognized the blue alchemist streaks and the destruction that screamed "Here's where the Fullmetal Alchemist is!"

"Ed!"

Ed leaned against part of what was left of the wall and spit blood. The fucking bastard had busted his lip and had _almost_ made Ed bite through his tongue. His whole body shook with the effort that it had taken to use alchemy. His body simply wasn't used to it. Coughing again from the dust, Ed peered around, trying to find Envy, "Stop hiding you fucker!"

"Ed?" A nervous voice asked through the hole. That wasn't Roy. It couldn't be. It was Envy…pretending again.

"Don't use his voice!" Ed screamed when he saw Roy, though weather it was from pain or anger, no one could tell. And just as Ed was going to throw himself against the new comer, there were two of Roy. One standing much closer and one farther away. That's when Ed knew that Roy really had shown up at the scene. The closer one, without the eye patch, had to be Envy.

With one fluid movement, and a clap, Ed transformed his arm into a blade and sent it through the fake Roy's stomach. The homunculi looked surprised for a minute before giving Ed a satisfied look.

"I still…got…your…stupid brother." Envy's spit along with blood covered Ed's face. The homunculus' body slowly disappeared as it went to join the others. And with that, Ed finally passed out, landing alone on the cold floor.

Roy had watched Ed fight the homunculus. He had noticed that when Ed had transformed his arm, he had transmuted a small _something_ into the metal. It almost looked like a bone, but he couldn't be sure. And when he saw Ed pass out, he ran to him.

But before Roy could pick him up, Roy saw Al lying not too far away. The younger Elric had a short dagger driven in his chest. Close, but not in to the boy's heart. Yanking the dagger out, Roy bandaged the wound with the boy's torn shirt. Hoping it would keep the boy from losing too much blood. Carefully, he grabbed Al's feet and Ed's feet and slowly dragged them from the wreck and towards the hospital.

Ed woke slowly and when he did, the only thing he could see was white. A very clean, very white ceiling. Where could he be? Was he still trapped underground with Envy? Where was Al? Roy? Hadn't he been there??

Ed sat up, groaning as something in his back popped. Looking around, he noticed that of all the places he did not want to be, he was in the number one.

A hospital.

Thankfully, he could see Al laying down in a bed a few feet away, sleeping peacefully. Then there was Roy, who had apparently fallen asleep in his chair as he watched Ed during the night.

Settling back down, Ed sighed. They were safe for a moment and for that, he was internally glad. He peered at Roy from under his loose hair and studied the man as he slept. The eye patch was still there, still covering Roy's left eye. For a moment, Ed felt the need to look under it. To see what his lover so ardently hid from him. But, he resisted. If Roy had wanted to show Ed, he would have…and maybe one day, they would get there. But today was not that day.

The other eye opened as Ed continued to look at the man he assumed to be sleeping. "Good morning, Ed." His rough voice startled Ed, but he quickly recovered.

"Hey…how long have I been in this bed?"

"About a week…Al might take longer to recover."

Ed was shocked about how long he could sleep while everyone could still have been in trouble, but he quickly changed the shock to worry over his little brother. "What's wrong with him?"

"When the homunculus realized he wasn't going to win, he stabbed Al. He tried to aim for his heart, and we are very lucky that he missed. But now Al has gone through two surgeries and has yet to wake up. Everything seems to be okay physically now…I think he's just too worn out to wake up yet." Roy explained, trying not to make Ed panic.

But the panic still appeared in Ed's eyes. His little brother! When Ed attempted to stand up, Roy didn't bother trying to stop him and simply watched to make sure Ed didn't fall over and hurt himself as he rushed to his brother's side.

Al stirred slightly as Ed ran his flesh hand against his brother's brow. "Al, wake up…it's okay now…we're safe. Please wake up." He whispered in desperation.

After approximately ten minutes of complete silence, right when Ed was about to give up, Al's eyes fluttered open. "Brother?" He croaked.

"AL!" Ed yelped as he glomped his brother with the most fervent of hugs.

"Brother! I can't breath!" Ed quickly let go so Al could breath. "Where are we?"

"In the hospital…"

"Oh…" A few seconds pause before, "OH! I remember! I remember everything! About mom, about traveling, and about Colonel…I mean General Mustang helping us!" He grinned with a feeling of euphoria.

"That's great, Al." Ed cried happily, "But you should really rest…you're in the hospital. We'll talk later, alright?"

"Alright…" 

Two weeks later, and many militaristic reports, Ed was back on his way to Roy's house. Al was going back to his dorm, and had invited Ed to join him seeing as how much they had to catch up still…but Ed simply shook his head. And Al, being Al, knew exactly why and understood it.

"We'll still see each other all the time, right?"

"Of course." Al agreed. "I'll come visit you and the General whenever you want. And we've still got a phone line…"

"I heard you have a chance to be transferred to East HQ."

"Ya, but we'll still have the phone. We'll call each other every night."

"Thanks, Al." Ed shuffled his feet a little, "I guess I'll see you then."

"Ya." And they walked away from each other.

Roy was waiting for him back at the house that they now shared. The fact that Roy could say that, made him thrilled. Ed had agreed to live with him…and he'd gone to the library and asked for work. They readily gave it to him seeing as he was the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' and now he'd be reading about himself to little kids.

Roy chuckled softly as he set the food on the table. Just then, he heard the ever so Ed-like entrance of creak, stomp, stomp, slam!.

"Hey! Just in time for dinner?"

"What's for dinner?" Ed peeked into the room. It was now his kitchen as well as Roy's, but he wasn't quite at home yet.

"BBQ. Beans. Potato Salad."

"I haven't had that in awhile."

"So I figured."

After sitting down and serving the food, Ed stared at his plate. "What's wrong, Ed?" Roy was confused. He knew Ed liked bar-b-que plenty because he'd seen him eat it with a gusto. He looked down at the plate as well. There were all the things he'd mentioned plus a piece of bread.

"The beans are infringing."

"What?" Roy snorted, trying to hid his laughter at Ed's scowl.

"The beans are attacking my bread!" He yelped, "None of that!" He growled to the beans as he desperately tried to scoot the beans away from said bread with his fork.

When Roy couldn't hold it in any longer, Ed wondered why the hell his boyfriend (as they were now officially and not so officially) was laughing his ass off.

After dinner, Roy and Ed had cuddled by the fire place before they had made their way up stairs. Finally, after the try over three weeks ago, Roy would be able to have sex with his new lover.

Changing was simply enough, after all…they'd run into the problem already. So Ed was back in his red and black boxers while Roy wore his ever-sparkly blue ones.

"So," Roy started as he climbed elegantly into the bed, "Do you still like my underwear?"

Ed's blush was answer enough, "No! Not in the least…I never liked them and--" He was then cut off as he was pushed back and kissed rather passionately.

"Edward, I love you, but sometimes…it's better to be quiet." Roy smirked a little at the scowl he received, but another kiss quickly pulled the scowl away.

THE END.


	3. Author's Note

Thank-you to everyone who's read this here, I know it's not a great ending, but it's all I had. I might be tempted to write a short epilogue should there be enough response for one. hint hint Anywho, I'm glad everyone liked it and I hope that you'll read more of my writing in the future. Thanks again!


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